Police: Anti-Gay Slurs Escalate Into Violence

A confrontation at a local restaurant early Saturday morning put one man in the hospital.

Police are now searching for multiple suspects, who officers believe instigated the fight over how the victim was dressed. Lt. Rigdon with the Colorado Springs Police Department tells 11 News that the suspect could face felony charges for a "biased-motivated" crime.

Officers say that a group of seven started throwing anti-gay slurs at the victim when he and a few friends walked into the Albertacos on Austin Bluffs Parkway just before 3 a.m. The verbal attack then escalated into a physical fight, landing the victim in the hospital with a facial fracture. No other serious injuries have been reported.

By the time police arrived at the scene, the suspects had left the restaurant.

All of the people involved in the altercation are reportedly in their early 20s, but Rigdon does not believe the two groups know each other. Police have been unable to gather all of the suspect descriptions at this time, but say that the group consisted of five black men and two black women. One of the men is reportedly 5-foot-5, 135 pounds and bald, while another man has been described as 5-foot-10, thin and light-skinned.

If the fight is determined to be biased-motivated, and more than one member of the group is found to be involved in the assault, some or all of the suspects could face class 4 felony charges. A biased-motivated crime is typically a class 5 felony charge unless the offender was assisted. The suspects also face second-degree assault charges.

Anyone with further information about this incident are asked to contact police. For those who wish to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 634-STOP or text TIP411.

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